534 - 539

Chapter 534 - Lingtian's Letter of Challenge!

"Dark character?" Qi Long and Jijyun exchanged glances with one another; they were both puzzled.

"Yes. Xie Yi's two personalities aren't like Luo Lang's Alter Ego. Luo Lang's Alter Ego has primary identity and secondary identities. No matter how powerful the secondary identities are, they will be controlled by the primary identity. For Luo Lang, however, there's no difference in status between his personalities. The more powerful one will gain control of the physical body," Ling Lan explained indifferently.

"Then the Xie Yi who always appears before us is the primary personality." Han Jijyun understood.

"It might not be. It's just my own opinion. After all, we don't know what the suppressed personality is like. It might be even better," Ling Lan replied irresponsibly.

Han Jijyun sent a sullen glance at his boss. No matter how he looked at it, the bright and optimistic Xie Yi should be the main personality. Also, his boss and Qi Long had both said that the suppressed personality had a brutal and destructive personality. These were obviously the characteristics of a dark character. Why was his boss trying to make it complicated?

A hint of fighting spirit appeared in Qi Long's eyes. "Boss, shall I attack?"

His boss had previously told him that a crisis was a catalyst. The worst way to deal with a power that you couldn't control was to suppress it, while the best way was to let it explode. Once it fully exploded, one would be able to find a chance of survival. In the past, the boss had used this method against Luo Lang and released all his other personalities, and this enabled Luo Lang to gain control of his Alter Ego.

Unexpectedly, though, Ling Lan rejected Qi Long's proposal. "No need."

"Are you planning to do it yourself?" Qi Long asked curiously. If his boss did it himself, the chance of success would be higher.

"He's very afraid of me." Ling Lan shook her head in response. "I can't force him out."

Ling Lan's words made Qi Long puzzled. His boss meant that it was useless for himself to do anything, so why didn't he let him do it? Did he have other plans? Qi Long started thinking about it carefully.

Han Jijyun had his head lowered, also in in deep thought.

Ling Lan didn't say anything. They needed to understand some things themselves. If she told them everything, they would never grow.

Very soon, Han Jijyun came back to his senses. Ling Lan didn't give them a lot of information so he could faintly make out something. Although he hadn't understood entirely, he wasn't in a hurry. Since he didn't understand it at present, he might as well put it to one side. Who knew—perhaps he would be struck by sudden inspiration.

It was then that he remembered something else; his boss had given him a mission this morning.

"Boss, I have asked Regiment Commander Wu. Currently, in our mecha clan, including our battle clan, we have a total of 21 people who managed to become special-class operators." There was a hint of pride on Han Jijyun's face. They were all third-years, so the fact that they were able to become special-class operators so quickly proved their ultimate talent in mecha piloting.

Ling Lan nodded at his words. "That's enough."

Han Jijyun had a sudden thought. His eyes lit up as he asked, "Boss, are you preparing to act?"

"What am I preparing for?" Ling Lan asked in return with raised eyebrows.

Han Jijyun could not contain his excitement anymore; his face turned red from his feverish emotions. After scanning his surroundings and confirming that no one was looking at them, he whispered, "Uniting the factions in the military academy and becoming the ultimate king?"

Han Jijyun's words cause a glint to appear in Qi Long's eyes, too. He remembered his boss' firm and arrogant declaration when they were first years. He looked at Ling Lan with anticipation and waited for the boss to give a confirmation.

"A situation will take its course regardless of our wishes! Even if we don't want to attack them, they won't let us go. In that case, why not we make a move first?" Ling Lan said coldly. The air around her suddenly turned frosty as she emanated a hint of killing intent. Han Jijyun almost became frozen by the atmosphere, and even Qi Long felt a heavy weight pressing down upon him.

The greater his capabilities became, the more he understood how scary his boss was. Last time, their capabilities had been too far apart so he was not certain about how powerful his boss was. Qi Long had never asked Ling Lan before, but he was certain that his boss was definitely in the Domain stage.

Without a doubt, the fact that his boss was in the Domain stage had broken the record of Federation again. However, he also knew that if his boss didn't say anything, he had his reasons. Hence, he kept this secret to himself and didn't tell anyone; including his best buddy, Han Jijyun.

In the Leiting Mecha Clan headquarters, Lin Zhidong sat in the regiment commander's office as he settled the matters in the Leiting Mecha Clan. Ever since Qiao Ting had gone to the Third Division, he finally managed to get his dream position as the clan's regiment commander and become the person with the highest authority in Leiting. He had finally managed to experience what it was like to hold he in the position of the highest authority.

"Beep beep beep!" The A.I. on the office desk beeped. Lin Zhidong asked happily, "What is the matter?"

"Regiment Commander, the Lingtian Mecha Clan has sent us a letter of challenge." His deputy's voice came from the A.I..

"Letter of challenge?" Lin Zhidong almost fell from his chair upon hearing this news. He quickly grabbed onto the table and took a deep breath before saying, "Come in." What was Lingtian doing? Leiting hadn't sent them a letter of challenge, so why were they sending one over instead? Also, they were already the first faction. What was the point of challenging Leiting?

The deputy entered the regiment commander's office and passed a paper card to Lin Zhidong.

Lin Zhidong opened the card to take a look, and he saw a nicely written sentence on the card.

Letter of Challenge

Target of Challenge: Leiting Mecha Clan!

Challenger: Lingtian Mecha Clan!

Time: Star calendar 4746.5.20

Regards,

Ling Lan

"It really is a letter of challenge…" As Lin Zhidong gazed at the letter of challenge in his hands, astounded, he had a sudden thought and realized the intention of the other party.

Lin Zhidong was furious—he slammed the table and gritted his teeth as he uttered, "Ling Lan, your appetite is too big! You actually intend on trying to have us merge with you."

In the First Men's Military Academy, there were rules with regards to sending out letters of challenge. If a faction in a lower position challenged a faction in a higher position and won, they would exchange their positions. If they lost, they would have to pay for the sending out the challenge. There were no other consequences. This was the most common form of challenge that made up 90% of the mecha challenges in the school.

But there was another kind, which was rarer; a faction in a higher position challenging a faction in a lower position. The purpose of this kind of challenge was to merge the two factions. In other words, if the faction in the higher position won, the one in the lower position would have to merge with the other side without any retaliation. If the lower position faction won, they would swap position with the other faction.

These rules apply to all mecha challenge competitions. All the factions had to follow the rules strictly. An example would be the time when Qiao Ting challenged Lingtian. He had planned on merging Lingtian with his faction but in the end, Lingtian was more powerful than him and Leiting had to give up their position as the first faction.

Of course, there were other non-mecha challenge competitions in the military academy. For example, during first year when they just formed the New Cadet Regiment, they were asked to battle it out with their physical skills. These challenges were mostly based on bets and once both parties accepted the terms, it would be done. There were no rules that said they had to accept such challenges.

Lin Zhidong's words allowed his deputy to understand the situation as well. He looked at the letter of challenge that was thrown to the floor by the angry Lin Zhidong. Lingtian was trying to get them to merge with them? Were they being delusional? A small mecha clan that was just founded was trying to touch the most powerful mecha clan that had been around for a few hundred years?

The deputy had forgotten that their position of number one faction had been taken away by Lingtian one year ago.

At this moment, the rest of all the other mecha clans had received a letter of challenge from Lingtian at around the same time. This signified that Lingtian was preparing to unite the military academy. However, no one was optimistic about Lingtian. All the mecha clans thought that Lingtian was being whimsical and daydreaming… numerous mecha clans were planning to drag Lingtian down from the position of number one and let them understand how stupid it was for them to underestimate all the mecha clans of the military academy.

Ling Lan's actions caused Lingtian to become the thorn in the side for the entire First Men's Military Academy; they couldn't wait to destroy her. A few number of small clans had harbored good feelings towards Lingtian, as they felt that Lingtian would understand their hardships since they all came from a similar background and that they would protect them. However, this letter of challenge broke all their hopes and their attitude changed immediately—they couldn't wait for Lingtian to stumble and made a fool of herself.

While all these people were scolding them, Lingtian was intensely preparing for their first battle. Their first target was not the small and weak clans; it was the biggest and most powerful clan, the Leiting Mecha Clan.

Ling Lan arranged it this way because she hoped that they would be able to strike the more powerful clans while they were still unprepared and take them down instantly. After they managed to take down all these old and powerful factions, they would be able to intimidate the other smaller factions and win without even having to fight. Ling Lan didn't plan to let Lingtian take on all the battles one by one. They didn't have the strong foundation that the old factions had, and neither did they have a larger number of mecha operators.

"The challenge mode is out." The next day, before Leiting could catch a breath, the challenge mode was sent to Lin Zhidong by the mainframe.

"Twelve-man team mode!" Lin Zhidong's heart dropped at this piece of news. With this number of people, they would not be able to showcase their strength. Leiting lacked a powerful mecha master like Qiao Ting, who was capable of winning against everyone with his techniques. The twelve-man team mode put them at a disadvantage.

Leiting immediately held a meeting for clan members at captain level and above. In the meeting, Lin Zhidong asked, "We need to send out twelve of our most powerful mecha masters. But the most important question is: who has the confidence of being able to defeat Ling Lan?"

The meeting room fell into a dead silence. During last year's Grand Mecha Tournament, Ling Lan's amazing long-range operation, as well as his personal-name technique that was confirmed after the tournament, had made them feel hopeless.

"Do we have no one that can defeat Ling Lan now that Regiment Commander Qiao Ting has left?" Lin Zhidong asked angrily.

"Even Regiment Commander Qiao Ting lost to Lingtian too," someone refuted softly.

"That's because my big brother fell into their scheme. Otherwise, how could he have lost to such a young brat? Regiment Commander Lin, don't worry and leave that brat to me." An unruly youth stood up and shouted with an angry face.

Lin Zhidong looked at this situation and felt speechless. Qiao Lin was Qiao Ting's younger brother. Compared to his talented elder brother, however, this Qiao Lin was utterly wasting his good physique and good talent; he was already a third year, yet he had only just achieved advanced mecha warrior level. When Qiao Ting was at his age, he was already invincible in the special-class operator level. If it was not for Qiao Ting, he would not have let this stupid person hold a captain position.

Chapter 535 - Reorganization!

Qiao Lin utterly lacked self-awareness so his words were disregarded by Lin Zhidong as well as the other captains. When he saw the rest of the people ignoring him and continuing their discussion, Qiao Lin's face turned from red to green and he sat down angrily. He felt deeply embarrassed by this cold treatment. He thought that these people had no conscience at all; once his brother left, they just ignored him.

Disregarding Qiao Lin's feelings, the administrators of Leiting had a long discussion before deciding to let one of their strongest special-class mecha operators be responsible for stalling Ling Lan.

Leiting's leaders all felt that since Lingtian was just a mecha clan that had been founded a little over a year ago, even if they managed to get 12 special-class operators, most of them would be greenhorns. This would give them a chance. As long as they stopped the strongest special-class operator in Lingtian, the rest of their 11 special-class operators would destroy the rest of Lingtian's members. After that, they would gather together and defeat Ling Lan by surrounding her. That way, they would be able to regain the title of number one faction.

Lingtian and Leiting's upcoming second battle caused an uproar in the entire school; it drew the attention of everyone. The Leiting mecha clan was the strongest opponent capable of preventing Lingtian from taking over the military academy. Regardless of how small a mecha clan was, they were not willing to merge with another mecha clan.

The instructors and administrators of the military academy also paid plenty of attention to this battle. Of course, after their god-creation plan failed, they didn't dare to take any small actions anymore. In addition, they had hard feelings towards Ling Lan, the person who had prevented their plan from happening. Although Ling Lan's actions aligned with their thoughts, they didn't want a newbie like her to complete this plan; it would make them feel like they had lost to her again. They had wanted to make her a stepping stone the last time.

Ling Lan didn't give Leiting much time to prepare. Her decision was the same as the one made by Qiao Ting, which was to finish the battle in the fastest possible time. Hence, their special-class operator battle would be held three days later.

The night before the battle, Ling Lan finished her training mission as per normal and then logged in to Mecha World. She made last-minute changes to the mecha that she was going to operate tomorrow.

Ling Lan's mecha was a modified ace mecha that Chang Xinyuan had created for her. After a year's worth of meticulous effort, the mecha looked exactly the same as a normal special-class mecha. It was different from one year ago where it looked more like an ace mecha except for its color. However, modified mecha were normally special so no one had held any suspicions back then.

Now, though, no one would be able to tell that this was a modified mecha from its external appearance. It looked the same as the mecha of all her other team members and thus it would be difficult to spot a difference among the rest.

Ling Lan checked all the energy levels on her mecha, as well as its weapons and equipment. She only felt at ease after confirming that everything was normal, after which she prepared to log off and call it a day. Before she could leave, however, a request for long-range conversation popped up on the mecha screen. The person sending the request was [Self-Defined Destiny].

The corners of Ling Lan's mouth went up slightly. Ever since Li Lanfeng and his friends came out of their army division's recruit training camp, he would log in to Mecha World every week and report to her their performance for the week. For the entire year, no matter what happened, he never missed his report. This gave Ling Lan the illusion that those three had never left her at all. They had merely gone to another training ground to train.

Today was the day Li Lanfeng was supposed to give her his report. Ling Lan pressed the connect button and a handsome young man wearing half a mask and a Federation mecha operator uniform appeared on the screen.

"Leopard, didn't you say that you needed to carry out a mission this week?" Ling Lan asked curiously. This was why she had been planning to log out without waiting for Li Lanfeng. In their conversation last week, Li Lanfeng had told Ling Lan that the three of them had received an escort mission.

"That escort mission was very easy and the journey was really smooth too. No one wanted to stay outside so we all hurried our way back to the base," Li Lanfeng answered casually.

Ling Lan nodded her head and said, "It's good that you all are fine." Although Li Lanfeng made it sound simple, Ling Lan knew that for a mission to require an ace operator, an ace disguiser, and a special-class operator cum ace military doctor to directly participate, it could not be anything easy. It was definitely not as simple as how Li Lanfeng put it, but since he didn't say anything, he had to have been warned by the military to not disclose anything. Ling Lan would not make a mistake like causing difficulty for Li Lanfeng.

Seeing how Ling Lan didn't pursue the topic any further, Li Lanfeng heaved a sigh of relief. There was nothing holding him back now. He remembered something Li Shiyu told him and asked with concern, "I heard Shiyu saying that one of his juniors in the military medical field told him today that you're having a mecha battle with Leiting tomorrow. Rabbit, are you confident?"

Li Lanfeng was very clear on what Ling Lan's motive was; she had long wanted to unite the military academy since a year ago and had always been preparing for this day.

"If everything goes as I expect, there shouldn't be a problem," Ling Lan replied calmly. Even if she didn't have total confidence, it was too late already—Ling Lan had to act as though she had everything in control.If she didn't even believe in herself, how could she let the members of Lingtian believe in her?

"I'll be waiting for your good news then." Li Lanfeng stared intently at Ling Lan's cold face. He had only left Ling Lan for less than a year, yet he could clearly feel how important she was in his heart. Many times, when he felt like he couldn't persevere anymore, Ling Lan's cold and clear eyes would motivate him and make his heart stronger.

According to the words of their temporary team leader, Li Lanfeng was the hardest person to predict among the three of them; whenever he felt that the latter had shown all his potential already, he would display even more possibilities. Their temporary team leader initially didn't have a good opinion of Li Lanfeng because of his weak body, but as time went by, he started to admire Li Lanfeng more and more. He really wanted to take in Li Lanfeng as an official team member. Even after coming to know that he already had a battle clan, he still constantly urged him to jump ships. Li Lanfeng always had a headache because of him.

Ling Lan nodded her head and chatted with Li Lanfeng for a while longer before saying goodbye. They left Mecha World.

Ling Lan opened the login pod to the virtual world and then frowned. She remembered that moments before, Li Lanfeng's right hand hadn't moved at all beside his body; he had only performed some simple actions with his left hand. "Leopard's right hand seemed injured. I wonder if it's serious. Since Li Shiyu could enter Mecha World, he should be fine. The only one that didn't appear is Zhao Jun… looks like Zhao Jun is hurt."

Ling Lan made a prompt decision and made a call. She entered a series of numbers that she remembered clearly but never dialed easily.

Ring, ring. Before the communicator could ring for the fourth time, someone picked it up. "Hold on a moment." A gentle voice came from the communicator, following which she heard the voice saying, "Pause the meeting!" The sound of chairs starting to be dragged around could be heard, as well as of other people replying to the voice in an organized and loud voice. "Yes, General!"

Ling Xiao quickly came out of the meeting he was in and entered the resting room at the side. He confirmed that there was no one around him before smiling happily and asking, "Lan'er, how come you are free to contact me today?"

"Father, I have a certain matter to bother you with this time," Ling Lan replied.

"Oh? What matter?" Ling Xiao was extremely elated. At the same time, he was curious about the difficulty his daughter met. His dear daughter had a truly independent personality due to his failure of being a good father. He really wanted to be a good father now, but hardly any opportunities were given to him.

"I want to know about the current situation of my team members; Li Lanfeng, Zhao Jun, and Li Shiyu. They underwent the evaluation a year ago and entered the 23rd Division." Ling Lan told him of her request.

Ling Xiao immediately retracted his smile. "Why? Did the men of the 23rd Division bully them?" He began to suddenly emanate an invisible, baleful aura. Although Ling Xiao always appeared gentle and amiable in front of all others, he was nevertheless an individual who had returned from the battlefield; how could he be as harmless as he looked?

"If they were bullied by those old folks, they would be useless. I wouldn't have looked for you because of that," Ling Lan stated coldly. "They said that they were given an escort mission this week and returned three days later. However, I realized that in this mission, two of them were injured while one was heavily injured. Their group consists of an ace operator, a spurious ace and a special-class operator cum ace military doctor…"

As Ling Lan described the situation, Ling Xiao's expression became serious. Once these talented cadets from the military academy came over, they would be placed under the nurturing program of the military. The military would not give them any missions in their first year and would let them undergo cruel recruit training so that they could get used to life in the military. From their second year onwards, they would be given some patrol and guard missions which involved no risk. Only on their third year would they be given hunt and escort missions to get them used to see blood. Once they managed to pass their first three years, they would be asked to participate in large-scale operations to chase down and suppress bandits—that was when they would get first-hand experience of the cruel massacres between humans. On their fifth year, the division would send them out onto the real battlefield, and that was when life-or-death battles would take place.

Based on what Ling Lan said, her team members were at most in their second year. Even if there was an escort mission, it was not their turn to take it. Also, for such a powerful mecha operator to be hurt so badly, it would not have been a simple escort mission; it was impossible for there to be nothing going on.

"I know. I will investigate this matter. Don't worry." Ling Xiao's eyes were cold. Although he didn't know who was behind this, he was clear that there was someone envious of these talented cadets, which was why this had happened…

"I'll leave it to you," Ling Lan said.

Ling Xiao hung up the call with Ling Lan and walked back into the meeting room with murder in his eyes. It was time to teach those people from the 23rd Division a lesson. Otherwise, they would think that he, Ling Xiao, was a very nice person to bully.

Chapter 536 - Father And Son?

Because of Ling Lan's words, the 23rd Division underwent a strict reorganization. The people that had tried to harm the foundation of the 23rd Division were expelled, while those that had tried to harm their brother-in-arms were sent to military court.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the 23rd Division grew much better. The military soldiers who truly loved the 23rd Division became more loyal to the division as well as to Ling Xiao.

The timely reorganization also saved Li Lanfeng and company, and they immediately heaved a sigh of relief. They knew that someone on top had been targeting them, but they weren't able to do much despite being on their guard; they had ended up being targeted eventually. For instance, the escort mission that had seemed very safe on the surface was actually filled with danger. If they hadn't had the capabilities, Zhao Jun would not have been the only one to be seriously injured. All three of them, including their temporary team, would have been stranded to become food for star-level brutal beasts.

Of course, this did not mean that the 23rd Division was completely free of all outsiders. Ling Xiao knew that he couldn't be too extreme. As long as those people didn't hurt the 23rd Division's foundation and their brothers-in-arms, whether it be spies from other divisions or soldiers with their own agenda, Ling Xiao would let them stay and not touch them.

He needed to know how to compromise adequately in his position. If he truly took control of the 23rd Division like it were his own army, someone from the Federation would start to grow worried. As for him, he might become an eyesore in the military headquarters.

But if that was all, he would not be scared. After all, the military would always be guarded against their generals and god-class operators even as they gave them important roles and tasks. He didn't mind being guarded against more. However, he had two soft spots now: Lan Luofeng and Ling Lan. They were his dearest treasures and he didn't want them to be hurt in any way. That was why he had to lower his head and make some compromises.

As the 23rd Division was vigorously undergoing a reorganization, Ling Lan welcomed the next day peacefully.

In the afternoon, the entire military academy was empty; there was almost no one in the school. All the students were either in the mecha combat hall or watching the live broadcast of the upcoming mecha competition with their friends. Some had gone back to their accommodations and prepared to enter Mecha World so that they could experience the battle first-hand.

The administrators of the military academy hadn't freed a day this time for everyone to watch the battle. However, since this battle would affect the future progression of power in the school, most of the students, whether they had a mecha clan or not, took leave on the day to watch this future-determining ultimate battle.

As the number of people taking leave increased, the instructors decided to take leave too. There were not many people for them to teach that day and they were keenly interested in this match as well.

The instructors wanted to know if Ling Lan was able to take over the First Men's Military Academy. If he succeeded, it would be a first in the history of the First Men's Military Academy and they would be a witness of the event.

Similar to the other mecha tournaments, a VIP room in the military academy grew lively again as instructors and administrators appeared inside to watch the ultimate mecha battle; the room was filled up within a minute.

The moment Tang Yu entered the room, he saw numerous faces familiar and unfamiliar. They were all sitting with people they were close to and were in the middle of a furious discussion. They spoke about their opinions as well as the different possibilities of this match.

Tang Yu immediately spotted the principal; he was sitting right in front of the big screen, smiling as he sat there. For some reason, no one sat beside the principal even though many people went over to greet him.

Tang Yu smiled and walked over. He greeted the principal. "Principal, hello. Long time no see." Counting the time, he had not seen this mister for almost eight months.

The principal saw Tang Yu and his polite smile immediately became sincere. He patted the sofa beside him and said, "Come, come. Tang Yu, sit beside me. Tell me about the details of the competition later."

The principal's words caused jealousy and envy amidst the people who didn't leave. Tang Yu didn't act polite with the principal and immediately replied, "No problem!" He sat on the sofa that the principal indicated immediately after he finished his sentence. Even without raising his head, he could feel the intense glares shooting at him.

Tang Yu didn't care at all. Ever since he watched the battle between Lingtian and Leiting with the principal last year and they discovered Ling Lan's secret together, he had formed an alliance with him. This year, he had gained the title of the trusted subordinate of the principal so he was used to this treatment. By now, he was indifferent towards them.

Tang Yu sat down and started chatting with the principal. The time of the competition came closer and closer. Everyone in the VIP room had sat down and no one was walking around anymore. They patiently waited for the competition to start.

The principal leaned towards Tang Yu when he saw no one interrupting them and whispered, "Tang Yu, do you think that Lingtian has a chance of winning this time?"

Tang Yu replied in a low voice, "Principal, as long as Ling Lan maintains his standard, there should be no qualms about the result." Even he himself didn't have the confidence to win against Ling Lan. Hence, in this situation where Leiting didn't have a successor to Qiao Ting, Tang Yu felt that Ling Lan would not lose even if she decided to take a small nap.

Of course, Ling Lan would not make such a low-level mistake… as compared to Qiao Ting, Ling Lan was colder and more vicious. He couldn't think of a way in which Leiting would be able to defeat Ling Lan—the latter had almost no weak points. If they wanted to reenact the self-destruct plan Ling Lan had carried out the last time, they would be knocked down before they could even come near. There was no way they could harm her.

"Principal, Ling Lan's talent in mecha operation is the greatest I have seen in my life. It is the only one I have seen too," Tang Yu exclaimed.

During the one year that he spent teaching Ling Lan, he managed to learn many things. Although they had a teacher and student relationship, they were more like friends that understood each other and had the same position and status.

Tang Yu hadn't expected to make a breakthrough in his hand speed, which had been stagnant for a very long period of time, in the year he spent fighting against Ling Lan. This little breakthrough had made him elated. He had been stuck at elite ace status for over ten years. As he grew older, the chances of him advancing to the imperial level grew smaller. Tang Yu had given up a few years ago but luck just came to him so suddenly…

The principal's smile deepened as he listened to Tang Yu's words. He asked purposely, "How is he as compared to Ling Xiao?"

Tang Yu's heart dropped and there was an awkward expression on his face. His words just now had been ambiguous and might have given others the impression that even the god-class operator, General Ling Xiao, couldn't be compared to Ling Lan. Tang Yu knew that Ling Xiao was the principal's old friend.

He quickly tried to salvage the situation. "General Ling Xiao is an exception, exception."

The principal merely waved his hands and said, "Don't act polite in front of me. I am asking this sincerely. If he really has a greater talent than Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao would be elated to know it too." Then something occurred to the principal and he started laughing happily.

Tang Yu was stunned for a moment, following which something flashed across his mind: Ling Lan, Ling Xiao. They had the same surname. Are they father and son? Oh, no, no way. He had to be thinking too much. Tang Yu quickly denied this thought of his.

The descendants of a god-class operator would be truly normal people for the next few hundred years. This law had never been broken, so he had to have been thinking too much just now. Was he part of the Ling family then? Tang Yu thought of another possibility, but he denied it after a while too. Tang Yu remembered that 19 years ago when, General Ling Xiao was "sacrificed", his relatives attempted to take over the general's achievements, which had caused the general's family to become enraged and break all ties with the Ling family.

If there was indeed a prodigy in the Ling family, General Ling Xiao, no matter how big his heart was, would not be elated. Tang Yu felt that his thoughts made sense.

When he saw the confused expression on Tang Yu, the principal felt satisfied. He remembered how shocked he was when he found out that Ling Lan was Ling Xiao's son and saw his perfect operation skills. He had even called Ling Xiao to ask him if Ling Lan was really his son or if he picked him up from somewhere. But that was when the principal realized how scary Ling Xiao was when he went crazy… the principal shivered and felt lucky that he had only called him instead of going to ask in person. Otherwise, he might not have been able to sit here and watch the competition in one piece. This showed how much Ling Xiao treasured Ling Lan.

Commentary: Sulky Ling Xiao bit his little handkerchief and felt wronged. "I was suspected of being infertile. Shouldn't I be angry? Shouldn't I…"

The principal swept the image of Ling Xiao's eerie-looking face out of his mind and gave Tang Yu a reminder out of kindness. "Tang Yu, don't let theories bind your thoughts."

Tang Yu looked up in astonishment. He opened his mouth and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. "He, is he really, the father?" The sentence was not long, but the principal understood what Tang Yu wanted to say. He gave the latter a firm nod.

Tang Yu's body shook in excitement and his face turned red. Out of all the people over here, he respected General Ling Xiao the most. He didn't expect himself to have the honor of teaching General Ling Xiao's son. Moreover, his son was such a talented young man, too.

Tang Yu calmed down after being excited for a while, following which he looked at the principal curiously. He truly wanted to ask the principal: why was Ling Xiao's son able to break the law of nature?

Tang Yu and the principal didn't know that Ling Lan was a female and not a male. The research carried out by the Federation was only based on male descendants… so they shouldn't bring up this law on this weirdo Ling Lan.

The principal shook his head. "I am not sure either. Maybe a mutation occurred. However, it is a good thing." The principal smiled. They were on the same side as Ling Xiao, as it was a good thing that he had such a talented son. It was better than having a normal son, right?

Tang Yu agreed with the principal's words. This was a good thing, so why should he probe further?

At this moment, someone in the VIP room shouted, "The competition is starting."

Chapter 537 - Chameleon System!

The two of them turned their heads to look at the big screen, on which countless big and tall trees appeared. This was the hardest map in the competition—the forest map.

"The best map to sneak attack and be sneak attacked." The corners of Tang Yu's mouth lifted up to form a smile. "Ling Lan's luck is not bad. He managed to get a map that suits her the most."

The principal immediately asked out of curiosity, "Why is it so?"

"Although Lingtian's special-class operators only advanced not long ago and have much less experience as compared to those in Leiting, Ling Lan always liked to torture them. He would assassinate them despite having the ability to overpower them in a normal fight." Tang Yu recalled the "one versus many" battle that he had previously witnessed and gave a silent laugh.

At the time, everyone had thought that the powerful and mighty Ling Lan, who always meant what he said, would fight them face to face. Hence, they had all gathered together and prepared to attack her together too. Unexpectedly, though, Ling Lan went into hiding and assassinated them using all kinds of methods when they were not prepared for it. Ling Lan's strange assassination methods made everyone go crazy… in the end, Ling Lan won easily. The people who fought with Ling Lan came out of their cockpits with pale faces. They didn't manage to regain their senses for the entire day.

Tang Yu also knew that this kind of battle didn't happen only once. The Lingtian Battle Clan was already used to Ling Lan's torture, so if Leiting wanted to ambush and assassinate them on this map, it would be really hard. The members of Lingtian had learned some techniques from Ling Lan and they were able to perform assassinations on their own as well… Tang Yu felt that Leiting would be the ones getting tortured, not Lingtian.

The principal's eyes lit up. "If what you say is true, this map is really advantageous for Lingtian. I anticipate the performance of those punks." Because of Ling Lan, the principal and Tang Yu supported Lingtian. Hence, Leiting was given up unknowingly.

At this moment, in the forest map, the mechas from the two clans appeared in different positions. When they entered the map, they would be transported to a location automatically. The name of the team was labeled in front of the mechas and then a series of numbers followed.

The people in the battle would not know who was in the mecha; only the audience would know. Both sides had to predict the person in the mecha by analyzing their strength and techniques. This tested the student's adaptive ability as well as their knowledge of their opponent.

"This time, the team leader of Lingtian is their captain, Ling Lan, and the team leader of Leiting is their most powerful special-class operator called Tian Jiajun. He is the dux of the fifth-years, but his hand speed has been stuck for a year. He has not found the opportunity to make a breakthrough, so he is not yet capable of advancing to ace operator. However, you cannot deny that he is one of the strongest among the special-class operators." At this moment, an instructor was introducing the teams to the person beside him in the VIP room. He sounded a little sad.

Tang Yu knew who this instructor was; he was called Qiao Yi. He was also an ace instructor and was taking the second-years this year. Tian Jiajun was his student from the last semester and was one of his prided pupils.

The person beside the instructor knew of the relationship between Tian Jiajun and Qiao Yi. He immediately consoled him, "It is just a matter of time. He will advance to ace operator in the future. Also, remaining as a special-class operator will allow him to gain a stronger foundation. Once he becomes an ace operator, he will be able to rise up the ranks quickly. Many people who managed to become imperial operators got stuck at special-class operator status for a long time too."

Qiao Yi nodded his head and gave a smile in response. Although his student was currently not as good as Qiao Ting, who was brought up by Tang Yu, this did not mean that his student would still be of a lower status than them in the future. Once Qiao Yi had this thought, he couldn't help himself and turned his head to look at Tang Yu.

Tang Yu nodded his head politely at him and Qiao Yi returned the greeting with a smile. Afterward, they shifted their gazes away in a natural manner, but the principal still noticed the hidden rivalry going on between them.

"Seems like Qiao Yi wants to win against you once," the principal said with a smile.

Tang Yu sighed lightly. "I don't mind if he wins once, but his luck is too bad." And how could it not be bad? After Qiao Ting left, he had accepted an even more capable individual, Ling Lan, as his student. He himself didn't have the confidence to win against her, so which person in this military academy could?

The principal was in total agreement. He said, "Yes, his luck is really bad." Otherwise, why would his students not be as talented as Tang Yu's?

However, the rivalry between Tang Yu and Qiao Yi did not gain anyone else's attention; everyone was focused on the screen in front of them.

"They are moving!" Compared to the hesitation of their opponents, the other clan moved with great swiftness; they began moving as soon as they entered the map. These individuals were from Lingtian.

"There's no pattern to Lingtian's movements at all," someone shouted in surprise.

The Lingtian Mecha Clan had a piece of equipment that could allow them to see the location of their team members. This information was revealed last year in the battle against Qiao Ting mecha clan and had become an open secret. Everyone thought that Lingtian would gather together first, or form teams of three with the mechas closest to them just like what they did last year. This was what Leiting was most afraid of.

"They are fighting their own battle. Lingtian has given up on formation tactics." The instructors with sharp eyes immediately understood Lingtian's intention.

"Why are they giving up on formation tactics? Wouldn't it give them more of an advantage?" The instructors were flabbergasted at Lingtian's actions. From their perspective, Lingtian had made a stupid decision. They had given up their advantage and opted to fight with their weakness, which was the same as seeking their own death.

"Ah, Leiting is moving too." Just as the instructors and administrators were feeling angry and disappointed at Lingtian's actions, Leiting started moving.

"Ah, look, the direction that the Leiting is heading to… are three locations closest to Lingtian. Their destinations are the same." Very soon, everyone realized the secret behind Leiting's movements.

"Leiting has the member locating device too. Seems like after losing last year, they have covered up their blindspots. Leiting has prepared sufficiently for this battle." Many of the instructors were starting to place their bets on Leiting.

"Strange, where are Lingtian's mechas?" Everyone's attention had been attracted by Leiting just then. When they looked back at Lingtian's mechas, they realized that they couldn't find some of them anymore.

"They are over there, hiding." Someone looked back just in time to see where Lingtian's mechas had gone to. He personally saw a mecha changing its color surreptitiously as it hid among a pile of leaves and branches at a stone hill; it started to merge with its surroundings.

"Chameleon system!" Everyone turned serious. Both teams had made ample preparations for this battle. Leiting had managed to obtain the member locating device, while Lingtian had gotten themselves chameleon systems which were known as the ultimate weapon for assassination.

The chameleon system was a top-class disguise system, which could only be used by special-class mecha and above. It was known as the ultimate weapon for assassination because the system could enable a mecha to integrate into its surroundings. A top-class chameleon system could even grant perfect camouflaging ability.

In order to see through the chameleon system, another top-class system was required—the hawkeye system. However, this system was unable to 100% see through the chameleon system. The chameleon system was almost invincible. No radar scanning would reveal the location of an opponent once they used the chameleon system; it had the ability to bluff radar scanning systems as well.

Of course, special-class mechas could only be equipped with the lowest-level chameleon system, but it was enough to fool one's opponents if they didn't have a hawkeye system.

Qiao Yi immediately frowned at this new information. "How did Lingtian obtain this system?"

Although such top-class systems were not restricted and sealed away by the military in Mecha World, that did not mean it was easy to ahold of them. The lucky ones could obtain the lowest-level chameleon system upon achieving the status of ace mecha master, yet all of Lingtian's mechas were equipped with this system. He could almost believe that Mecha World was opened by Lingtian themselves—otherwise, how would they have been able to obtain so many top-class systems and equip them on these low-level special-class mechas?

In reality, Qiao Yi's thoughts were nearly correct. With the king of Mecha World, Little Four, beside Ling Lan, it could be said that the virtual world was indeed opened by them. However, Ling Lan hadn't asked Little Four to open a backdoor. She had merely asked him to give her the mission that would allow her to obtain the chameleon systems. Afterward, Ling Lan had prompted all the special-class operators in the clan to go and carry out the insanely terrifying mission.

The task involved was a one-man mission. If a person wanted to obtain the chameleon system, he or she needed to pass the mission with his or her own ability; there was no easy way out. All the members of Lingtian had had no choice but to do it. They used their deaths to learn and gain the experiences needed to succeed. They didn't know how many times they had died because all the ways they had died in were different. They died every day, died until they went crazy, died until they wanted to vomit. However, after they calmed down, they wiped their lips and continued to die.

Not all of them had had the psychological endurance to handle such despair; almost half of the members weren't able to handle the sensation of death and started to go crazy. They became unable to differentiate reality from the virtual world and were forced out of there before they truly went crazy by Ling Lan, who had been observing them.

Luckily, Li Shiyu had already invented medication that could cure mental illnesses. Under his treatment, these people went back to being normal. A portion of them had still wanted to continue the mission, but Ling Lan had rejected them directly. She told them that before they reached ace mecha, they were not allowed to do this mission. Otherwise, if they developed any mental illness again, it would really interfere with their minds and affect their future advancements.

The people that failed heeded their captain's advice, as they knew that he would not lie to them. If this was what he said, this was what he meant. There were all smart people and knew what they should do.

In the end, their hard work paid off. 9 members of the clan managed to pass the mission. 5 of them were from Ling Lan's team, while the others were Wu Jiong, Li Yingjie, Wu Jiong's assistant team leader Ye Xu, and one of Lingtian Mecha Clan's leader Gao Jinyun.

Chapter 538 - Selfishness?

Although Qiao Yi felt that Lingtian being in possession of the chameleon system would increase the difficulty for Leiting, he still believed that they had higher odds of winning. The reason he was mistaken, however, was that Ling Lan had kept herself too well hidden; from his impression of her, no matter how strong Ling Lan was, she couldn't be stronger than his own pupil, Tian Jiajun.

"It's okay. Not every one of Lingtian's members has the chameleon system. I saw that there were still three mechas going through the forest that haven't camouflaged yet." The instructors that were watching the battle finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief. After so many years, the number of cadets that these instructors had once nurtured were countless. There were finally some pupils that they were proud of. However, it was only these pupils who were able to get their hands on the chameleon system before graduation.

In the past, they could explain why the mission was perverted in nature. If the chameleon system became like corn in a field, like a piece of standard equipment for Lingtian, the instructors would definitely feel terrible about it. They might all become furious to the point of spitting blood.

"Oh yeah, did you guys see which one of the mechas belongs to Lingtian's commander, Ling Lan?" asked an instructor who was very interested in Ling Lan. He had originally thought the mecha operated by the commander would be different from the others. He remembered that one year ago, Ling Lan had operated a modified special-class mecha that was different from standard special-class mechas. This time, however, Lingtian's 12 mechas were roughly the same in appearance; he couldn't figure out who was who.

"Not sure."

"I can't make it out which mecha it is." The others around him also didn't know the answer and shook their heads at his question.

"Look at the serial numbers. Number one should be the commander's mecha," one person reminded everyone.

"I found it. Coordinates: (xx, xx). The mecha that is currently moving is Lingtian No. 1." One person had already found the mecha that had Lingtian No. 1 shown on its serial number.

Everyone's focus was on Lingtian No. 1. They saw the mecha fly quickly and move forward with finesse. Its movements were smooth and graceful. Many of the spectators praised the operator piloting Lingtian No. 1. "As expected of a mecha clan commander. This kind of piloting has already reached the level of a fully experienced pilot."

Seeing this, the principal asked, "Tang Yu, No. 1 is Ling Lan, isn't it?"

Tang Yu closely observed the movements of Lingtian No. 1, but three seconds later he shook his head and replied, "That's probably not Ling Lan."

The principal asked in surprise, "How can you tell that No.1 isn't Ling Lan?"

Tang Yu smiled slightly. "The movements of the mecha are too elegant."

"Doesn't elegance show that the pilot has good operating skills?" the principal continued to ask confusedly.

"Yes, it indeed does show that the pilot has good operating skills, but it's not limited to just that." After saying this, Tang Yu couldn't help but smile before continuing. "In fact, a cadet that is able to perform to this level can be considered to be quite outstanding already. Unfortunately, after having seen Ling Lan's operating skills, I actually don't think this cadet's skills are very good."

"Ling Lan's operating skills have already reached that high of a level?"

"Simple and one with nature!" Tang Yu's words shook the principal. This was the foundation for advancing to imperial level. Had Ling Lan already progressed so far?

"There is no longer the pursuit for elegance in Ling Lan's operating techniques; instead, it has become simpler," Tang Yu stated proudly. Thinking back to the past, Tang Yu's dazzling operating skills had begun to evolve into the simpler and more precise realm only after countless life-or-death battles. He began to understand it then, but Ling Lan had managed to gradually learn about it in the military academy. How monstrous was this type of mecha operating talent? It was as though there weren't any barriers for Ling Lan, as though he could easily find the correct direction to evolve in.

"His movements won't give you the impression of beauty or elegance. Instead, they will appear normal and uninteresting. However, each motion is even faster, stronger and more accurate while simultaneously not wasting any time," explained Tang Yu. "If no one pays attention to those movements, they would be overlooked. Only if you focus on observing operating skills would you able to discover this secret. I'm very confident when it comes to Ling Lan. All the other cadets that I have taught might die on the battlefield, but I believe that only Ling Lan would be able to come back alive, even if he were put in a bad situation."

At that moment, the principal was still focused on his statement that Ling Lan's operating skills was simple and one with nature. He quietly asked, "Tang Yu, tell me honestly. Can Ling Lan advance to imperial level before his fifth year?" If the First Men's Military Academy had a cadet that advanced to imperial level, which of the other schools would dare to meddle with the title of number one military academy? Thinking up to this point, the principal became jittery and excited.

"Not possible!" Tang Yu answered with confidence.

The principal was so disappointed that it was as though he had a bucket of ice water poured over him. He looked towards Tang Yu and discovered that his expression was stern. Surprised, the principal calmed himself down and said, "Sorry, Tang Yu. I got greedy." He had promised to protect Ling Lan, yet after finding out that Ling Lan was capable of advancing to imperial level, his greed took over his common sense and almost made him do something stupid.

"You are concerning yourself with too much. Ling Lan will advance to ace level in his fifth year and that's as far as he can go," Tang Yu said meaningfully.

The principal smiled with regret and didn't keep on going around in circles on the subject. He suggested, "Since you said Lingtian No.1 isn't Ling Lan, then let's see who is actually who."

The audience could search up the detailed list of the battle team members for both sides. The principal inputted Lingtian No.1 in his communicator and it displayed a list of simple details regarding Lingtian No.1.

"Lingtian No.1—Name: Xie Yi; Background: Descendant of an elite family; Age: 19; Physical Skills: Qi-Jin beginning level; Mecha Piloting: Special-class; Advancement Evaluation from Advanced to Special-class: Outstanding!"

"Xie Yi? I never heard of this name before. Tang Yu, do you know about him? Who knew Lingtian had this kind of expert in their clan." The principal wondered with marvel.

For most students, those who had good physical skills were weaker in terms of talent in mecha piloting. If their mecha piloting talent was good, they wouldn't focus on physical skills. Usually, those who had high levels in physical skills had lower levels in mecha piloting compared to others and vice versa. However, the information of Xie Yi that was on display, whether it be his physical skills or mecha piloting, showed that he had already reached the highest level for his age. He had truly managed to improve both at the same time. The only reason the principal marveled at Xie Yi was that only after reaching this level would an individual understand that those capable of becoming top mecha operating experts also had similarly strong physical skills.

For example, the Federation's 12 god-class mecha operators; their physical skills had reached the level of Domain. It could be seen that the two skills complemented each other. If an operator only focused on mecha operating and neglected their physical skills, they would have no chance of reaching the highest level of mecha operating in the end.

"Xie Yi is a member of Ling Lan's battle team. Currently, he is given the role of right-wing vice-captain. His mecha operating skills are ranked among the top 50 in the entire military academy." Tang Yu gave the principal some details about Xie Yi.

"He's still in his third year, isn't he? He's definitely a genius if he managed to get into the top 50 in only his third year. Who's his mecha instructor? Why didn't you take him as your pupil back then?" The principal's face was full of regret. Another genius had been held up by their circumstances.

Tang Yu couldn't help but roll his eyes. He could only take 5 students in one semester. His very own pupil, Lin Zhong-qing, was taken in through a backdoor because he enjoyed teaching geniuses. Afterward, he discovered that everyone in Ling Lan's battle team all had great potential. He also wanted to take them as his pupils.

However, the rules of the military academy weren't that easy to override. Since they already had instructors, no matter how much Tang Yu loved teaching geniuses, he wouldn't be able to break the rules and be their instructor. If that was to happen, the entire military academy would be in a mess. Not only would the other instructors have disagreements with him, but it would also make all the cadets in the military academy become discontent. They would think this—since Tang Yu could give pointers to cadets taught by other instructors, then why couldn't he give some pointers to them as well?

"Don't worry, Mr. Principal, his instructor is Luo Jinan. He is also an outstanding ace operator and is extremely attentive to Xie Yi. He has mentioned many times that Xie Yi is his most prized pupil and that he wouldn't hold him back." Even if Instructor Luo's teaching were not good, there was still Ling Lan looking out for Xie Yi. Tang Yu knew clearly that Ling Lan always held small training sessions for her teammates. Otherwise, could the instructors really have raised such outstanding cadets with their capabilities alone? Even Tang Yu himself didn't feel confident about that.

"So, someone as outstanding as him can only be the right-wing vice-captain? Does that punk Ling Lan have selfish motives?" Every battle team had their confidants and they would be usually given positions that didn't reflect their real potential due to the relationships and feelings between everyone. The principal was worried that Ling Lan was giving out positions based on her emotions.

Tang Yu's lip trembled for a second. Just Xie Yi alone had excited the principal this much. If he came to know that the rest of Ling Lan's battle team was entirely composed of monstrous individuals, perhaps the principal would be so excited that his heart wouldn't be able to take it and instantly faint.

He was very much inclined to see principal's reaction after telling him the truth. Tang Yu smiled slyly as he began, "Ling Lan's battle team's vanguard is called Qi Long. His physical skills level has reached the late stages of Qi-Jin in the beginning tier. His mecha operating level is special-class. Yes, he advanced in his second year, earlier than Xie Yi by 8 months or so. And the left-wing vice-captain, Luo Lang, possesses a physical skills level in the mid-stages of Qi-Jin in the higher tier. His mecha operating level is special-class and he also advanced during his second year, earlier than Xie Yi by around 4 months.

"There's also my star pupil, Lin Zhong-qing. His physical skills are at the beginner stage of Qi-Jin mid-tier. The time he took to advance was only later than Xie Yi by one day. However, because of that one day gap, he could only get a position as a backup guard," Tang Yu explained regrettably. "Even their battle team's strategist has similarly reached the beginner stage of Qi-Jin lower-tier. His mecha operating level is similarly special class. Of course, his time of advancement was later than Xie Yi by two months. However, even though it was that late, he still managed to advance into special-class in his third year. His talent in piloting isn't too far off from the others."

The principal took in a deep breath. Where had Ling Lan found these insanely strong individuals? Each one of them had the potential to become the valedictorian.

However, these details wouldn't be the only things he would be stunned by; Tang Yu's following words rendered the principal completely dumbfounded.

"These are the members that remain in the military academy. I previously mentioned that Xie Yi only managed to become the right-wing vice-captain at this stage. In the past, he wasn't even qualified because Ling Lan had three other members. They are now sixth-year cadets and have already joined the 23rd Division for their one-year internship. One of them advanced into an ace operator in their fifth year. He had the position as the main vanguard of the battle team at the time. Another one also advanced to ace level in his fifth year, but he couldn't fight for a long time, so he was given the title of Spurious Ace. At that time, he had the position of the left-wing captain of the battle team!"

The principal couldn't control himself and his jaws dropped in shock—Tang Yu finally saw the expression he wanted to see. He was satisfied but afraid that the principal might take revenge on him; thus, he contained himself and tried his best to keep a serious face, following which he tossed out one last strike. "Oh, right. Mr. Principal, do you remember the Flying Dragon medals that the military gave us last year to give out to the fifth-year military medicine major valedictorians in hopes of having them join the Flying Dragon Special Forces?"

Chapter 539 - Bait?

The principal nodded. His face showed a hint of regret as he said, "I wasn't in the military academy at the time. By the time I learned about it, it was already too late for me to get back to the academy." With an expression of sadness, he continued, "The Flying Dragon Special Forces is a battle team that every cadet dreams of getting into. However, even a single Flying Dragon medal is rarely given out every decade. The medal represents the acknowledgement of the country that the awardee is the top in their field and possesses the most potential for growth. It is also what every student dreams about. The medal not only represents glory and status, but at the same time, it also means that you will instantly become a member of the Flying Dragon Special Forces. There would be no need for the cadets to go through a series of harsh evaluations and eliminations."

After saying all this, the principal couldn't help but hold onto his chest. "Such a rare chance. That punk. Li Shiyu, was it? He actually gave up on this chance. Every time I think about it, my heart aches." He recalled another Flying Dragon medal that could have been awarded many years ago—that punk Ling Xiao was also the same. The man hadn't even notified him and refused on his own accord.

"Actually, I really admire Li Shiyu. He wouldn't leave his comrades behind for a better future," Tang Yu said with admiration. Even if it were he himself who was faced with the invitation into the Flying Dragon Special Forces, the honor and glory that the Flying Dragon medal had to offer would have been enough to lure him in. However, Li Shiyu had actually outright refused the invitation given by the military's representative and hadn't hesitated even one bit. Tang Yu still remembered the stunned and disbelieving expression on the representative's face; perhaps the man had never imagined someone would reject their offer.

"I think that the First Men's Military Academy will become the Flying Dragon Special Forces' nightmare in the future," said Tang Yu with a laugh. The only two people who had ever rejected the invitation from the Flying Dragon Special Forces were both from the First Men's Military Academy.

The principal smiled bitterly at his words. "It's possible that the military will no longer invite the First Men's Military Academy for a chance to participate in the future evaluations to enter the Flying Dragon Special Forces."

Those folks all held grudges. After Ling Xiao's rejection, the First Men's Military Academy still had outstanding students in the following years. However, the military was angered to the point of being willing to choose average cadets from other military academies, not giving a chance to the cadets from the First Men's Military Academy to participate in the evaluations. Later on, the Federation finally managed to find another top cadet that made the military give up on their pride and offer that a cadet a Flying Dragon medal. Unfortunately, at that time, their graciousness was met with the cold shoulder from the First Men's Military Academy once again… Thinking up to this point, the principal felt even worse. It was possible that there was no hope for their military academy to receive an invitation to any evaluations for the Flying Dragon Special Forces in the future.

"Although the chance that slipped away is indeed very unfortunate, I still think our students don't really care about it," Tang Yu said positively.

"What do you mean by that?" the principal asked confusedly.

"There's General Ling Xiao! The 23rd Division is where our cadets want to go nowadays." The Flying Dragon Special Forces was indeed a great place to go and all their members were also indeed the top in their fields. However, all of this couldn't compare to General Ling Xiao, whom everyone looked up to. Ling Xiao's growth was like a legend and had created records one after the other. He had pressured the Flying Dragon Special Forces to the extent where they had to take a few steps back. This also made the Flying Dragon Special Forces unable to become a dream that Ling Xiao's generation chased after.

"That's true. Not even I understand what kind of godly existence that punk Ling Xiao is." The principal was very much in agreement with Tang Yu.

Tang Yu's words made the principal's mood instantly change for the better. Along with his improved mood, his logical thinking became clearer as well; he had now remembered some things that he had previously forgotten. He asked with surprise in his tone, "Tang Yu, do you mean that that Li Shiyu has joined a battle team? I remember he was in the medicinal research major. Aren't those guys neutral and never join battle teams?"

Even if the cadets of that major joined battle teams for different reasons, they would only sign temporary contracts. After entering a division, they would go their own separate ways. The principal had always believed that Li Shiyu was free to choose what he had wanted, but he couldn't understand why Li Shiyu would reject the invitation from the Flying Dragon Special Forces. It should be known that once he entered the Flying Dragon Special Forces, Li Shiyu would be nurtured by the country using all of their resources. With such a promising road ahead, even those who were lazy and dumb could become a top expert in the field of medicine in the Federation after years of this type of nurturing.

"That's what everyone says, but there are always outliers—Li Shiyu is one of them. In his fourth year, he joined Ling Lan's battle team and became the battle team's doctor."

Tang Yu's words stunned the already dumbfounded principal. If Ling Lan was with them, it was possible that the principal would hold onto her shoulders and yell at her, "Sh*t, did your small battle team really need to get the valedictorian of the military medicine major as your team doctor? Don't you know that this is a big waste and a huge crime?"

The principal took a deep breath and finally calmed himself down. He reluctantly rubbed his forehead and sighed as he said, "Tell me, do you think this Ling Lan is trying to create his own private Flying Dragon Special Forces?" The members that she had taken in all made him envious. Besides, what she had done by taking the ace military doctor that the Flying Dragon Special Forces had approved of was even more so like taking prey away from a predator.

Tang Yu thought deeply for a moment then said, "That's very possible." Based on Ling Lan's requirements of only taking in top tier geniuses into her team, it was definitely possible that she was trying to form a team that was of similar strength to the Flying Dragon Special Forces that the Federation had created. However, this also showed that Ling Lan's luck was insane; otherwise, how could she have so many monstrous individuals beside her?

While the principal and Tang Yu were having this conversation, the mecha that Xie Yi was operating, as well as a mecha from Leiting, had almost simultaneously discovered one another. The audience instantly focused their attention and stared at the big screen. The distance between the two mechas was getting closer and closer…

"Found one mecha from Lingtian, serial number: Lingtian No.1!" This mecha's serial number was Leiting No.9. When both sides were at the distance of being able to determine the other's serial number, this operator finally found the mecha that their captain had ordered him to search for when they split up at the beginning of the battle.

"Captain, we've discovered Lingtian No.1. Mecha Type: Balanced Mecha. Coordinates: (xx,xx)." The team member had decisively pressed down on the button to connect him to his captain.

"Alright, try your best to keep him busy." His captain's cold voice rang from the other side of the communicator. The operator received the order and decisively took out his beam saber from his back and flew towards the opponent. He still remembered the captain telling him that although the opponent was piloting a balanced mecha, his long-range abilities were stronger. Thus, he wanted to get as close as possible to the opponent captain and try his best to engage in close combat.

"Look, Lingtian No.1 is being surrounded by Leiting mechas hundreds of yards from its location." After Lingtian No.1 was discovered, the spectators saw that 4 mechas were all closing in on Lingtian No.1's location.

"Looks like Leiting wants to capture the king first and take care of Lingtian's captain." Leiting's goal was very clear, but those who knew the truth of the situation all frowned. Wasn't this falling into Lingtian's trap?

"Even if they don't take out Lingtian's captain, with four people surrounding him, this Lingtian No.1 won't be able to fight them. Taking out one opponent first is also good." There were still many people who favored Leiting. Compared to Lingtian, who were fighting by themselves, Leiting's members were now clearly in three-man groups. Once they successfully created a team, things wouldn't be that easy for Lingtian even if they attempted assassinations.

However, they couldn't deny that the battle against Lingtian No.1 was an important one. If Lingtian No.1 successfully escaped the encirclement, he would have drawn away four opponents, taking away pressure from his other teammates. If his teammates successfully took care of a few opponents, then the advantage would be Lingtian's side. If Lingtian No.1 couldn't endure the battle and was instantly knocked out of the competition, Leiting's newly formed team would be able to find their next target. This way, the advantage would tilt to Leiting's side.

Right now, however, the battle had not been decided yet. Both sides had their opportunities.

"They're here!" An audience member immediately shouted in excitement upon seeing Lingtian No.1 and Leiting No.9 finally enter the range for long-range fire.

Almost simultaneously, Lingtian No.1 and Leiting No.9 instantly aimed at each other and pulled their triggers; both beam guns shot out a beam of light towards their respective targets.

"Lingtian No.1 was a bit faster." Tang Yu's eyes were keen and immediately saw the difference between the two.

"This punk's long-range attack is strong, huh? He's piloting a balanced mecha. Now that I look, it should be a long-range and close combat type, isn't it?" the principal asked curiously.

Tang Yu nodded, but then shook his head afterward. The principal was confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

Tang Yu smiled bitterly. "I can only tell you that Lingtian No.1's long-range skills are strong, but as to whether he is capable of close combat or not, that I'm not sure." He didn't even know what the Lingtian members, who were taught by their own captain, had up their sleeves. It was also because Tang Yu himself didn't know whether Ling Lan's expertise lay in long range or close combat. Or was he an expert in both fields?

In the past year, Ling Lan had already played around with all five of the ace mechas in the military academy. Tang Yu had fought against her countless times but still couldn't find out what Ling Lan was best at. He felt that everything was around the same level. However, Tang Yu believed that that wasn't true. He thought that Ling Lan definitely had something that she was much more of an expert in; it was just that she never showed it.

While they were talking, Lingtian No.1 and Leiting No.9 had already shot at each other many times. At that moment, Leiting No.9 was clearly being pressured by Lingtian No.1. He was dodging left and right, trying to get close to his opponent. Following every step he took, however, one sharp beam of light would come towards him, making him step back to evade.

"Lingtian No.1's long-range abilities are strong. If we didn't know who he was, we might also have thought that Lingtian No.1 was that Ling Lan, who is also good at long range," one instructor murmured upon seeing this scene. He didn't expect Lingtian to have had another long-range expert other than Ling Lan. This individual that was called Xie Yi was about the same in terms of long-range abilities compared to their commander.

Right after he spoke, on the big screen, Lingtian No.1 suddenly changed his shooting motions; he was seen lifting up his mecha's right arm. Following that motion, his mecha's left hand held the bottom of his long-range beam sniper rifle as its barrel was aimed at Leiting No.9, who was moving at a rapid speed at that moment. Lingtian No.1 was also following Leiting No.9's movement patterns and changing his shooting stance to aim more accurately.

"This is Ling Lan's rifle technique—Select-Fire!" The audience all cried out in surprise. Everyone remembered what that stance signified; it was a standard posture for a fixed-point shot. In last year's Grand Mecha Tournament, Ling Lan had used this technique during the sports event and had it acknowledged by the Federation's headquarters. They named this attack Ling Lan's rifle technique—Select-Fire!

However, this rifle technique couldn't be used by just anyone; only those who could accurately hit their opponent would be considered to have completed this rifle technique. Everyone held in their breaths, waiting for Lingtian No.1's attack. Was it going to just be an imitation, or was it going to be an exciting Select-Fire shot like the one Ling Lan previously performed?

"Bang!" A powerful beam of light shot out of the rifle barrel.

"Boom!" Leiting No.9's mecha suddenly exploded. Perhaps it was too fast, or perhaps Ling Lan's rifle technique had made the opponent panic. No matter what the reason was, in the end, the opponent wasn't able to dodge this shot.

"It hit?"

"It really hit!" This meant that Ling Lan's rifle technique wasn't her own and was one that could possibly be learned by everyone. This undoubtedly made everyone who was interested in Ling Lan's rifle technique burn up with passion. As long as they worked hard, one day, they could also grasp this long-range sure-kill technique.

Xie Yi put down his beam rifle, wearing an alarmed expression as he cried out, "What, it worked?" In order to make sure he was in character, he had daringly attempted to use Select-Fire despite that his success rate with his boss' technique was only 10%; he hadn't expected his luck to be good enough that it would actually succeed on the first try.

"This way, no one will suspect that Lingtian No.1 isn't Ling Lan." Everyone who was watching Xie Yi's performance all knew that Lingtian's plan was to let Xie Yi pretend to be Ling Lan and attract Leiting's attention to protect the real Ling Lan.

"What's the reason behind Lingtian doing something like this?" one spectator asked those around him, not understanding the situation.

"Baiting! Using Lingtian No.1 as bait and drawing in Leiting's members one by one." One instructor pointed at the virtual image on the optical supercomputer. He clicked around Lingtian No.1 multiple times and said, "Here, here, here—and here. Lingtian's members have hidden at these locations. This place is a trap. If Leiting's members move past these points and don't have their guard up… then it will be one body for each assassination.

"In the end, even if some of them get away and are successful in containing Lingtian No.1, Lingtian won't care. After all, Lingtian No.1 is merely bait and isn't Lingtian's real leader. Even if he is defeated and eliminated, it won't affect Lingtian's morale that much. No matter how you look at it, if they manage to take out many members of Leiting and only lose Lingtian No.1, it would be well worth the trade of one for many."

Hearing this instructor's explanation, those who didn't understand now understood and they couldn't help but take in a heavy breath. There were people that also said, "Lingtian's really ruthless. They are actually willing to let an outstanding member be bait. However, this bait was very successful. They won't have to worry about Leiting not biting."

At that moment, the Leiting members who did not know the situation moved towards the coordinates that their captain had given them, while the observing instructors all shook in their heads in silence. Before even mentioning piloting capabilities, Leiting had already lost to Lingtian in terms of strategy alone.

Upon hearing the instructors beside him marvel at the situation, Qiao Yi's face became pale and his expression turned slightly anxious. He hoped that his own disciples could look past Lingtian's trap and not be so easily fooled.

In contrast to the instructors who didn't really know about Ling Lan's capabilities, Tang Yu didn't agree with what the rest thought; he didn't believe that Lingtian's plan was to have Lingtian No.1 act as bait. Tang Yu believed that even if all 12 members of Leiting were to go up against Ling Lan together, as long as she was careful, they wouldn't have any chance of defeating her. Therefore, who was more suitable and safer than Ling Lan to be the bait?

"This punk Ling Lan has always been a remarkable one. What is he planning?" Tang Yu went into deep thought.